Empirical Recommendations to Reduce Prejudice
Thelicia Weaver, Liam Miller, and Amber Ashley
It is important to address how and why prejudice still occurs. It is equally important to determine solutions to enact change. Four problems and solutions are discussed: 1) One problem to consider is racial stereotypes, which can lead to discriminatory actions if a person thinks their race is superior. Education may be able to minimize this issue, either through discussion within the classroom about race or reflection about videos depicting prejudice. 2) Religious prejudice is seen in America within depictions of Muslims. Media portrayals can lead to legislative change that is harmful toward religious minorities. As a solution, the media should challenge overgeneralized, incorrect depictions of Muslims. 3) Books can be used to indoctrinate readers. This is evident in Nazism. Propaganda was crafted to convince Germans into accepting further discriminatory actions against Jewish people. A solution to this problem is labeling prejudicial material, to make the reader aware that it is promoting discriminatory behavior. 4) In America, police brutality has killed unarmed people of color. There is little accountability when this occurs, as there is a lack of effective legislation to protect minorities and punish guilty cops. By holding officers accountable for their actions and imposing harsher punishments, there may be fewer power abuses. Through the four solutions proposed, prejudice can be weakened on several levels, ranging from the individual to the government to the world.
Thelicia Weaver is a senior psychology major from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She is currently a LINK peer leader and a member of the Psi Chi honor society. Upon graduation, she will attend graduate school for a Master’s in Psychology at Valdosta State University.
Liam Miller is a senior psychology major from Sumter, South Carolina. He is a member of the Psi Chi honor society and hopes to be a mental health counselor in order to work with veterans with PTSD.
Amber Ashley is a senior psychology student at Lander University. She graduated from Emerald High School and interned at Mental Health First Aid.